Blood and Souls and Magic
by Sparkle0001
Summary: There is a sinister magic seeping from the forest around the town. Such a nondescript town and yet its depths hold a dark secret and only the boy with the blood red eyes can unlock it. I only hope it's not too late... (cover pic is not mine and I do not own Fairy Tail)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So, I finally got an idea for another story :) I'm super excited that even during this frustrating semester I can still find time to write.**

 **Just to let you know in this story I am still using OCs from my first story (Lost and Found another Fairy Tail story). Also just like that story I do not own anything from Fairy Tail nor will I ever *sigh***

* * *

" _Run…_ " it was a sinister whisper. " _Run faster…_ " a whisper that has been echoing in my mind for weeks now. " _You'll die…so very soon…_ " I ran and ran until my lungs burned and then I continued to run. I never dared to look back that would only seal my fate sooner.

'Run!' my mind screams as I go careening over a cliff. 'Run!'

* * *

"Man why do you always drag me on such awful missions Natsu?" I scream as another monster picks me up and throws me unceremoniously to the ground. "You owe me big for this one!" I manage to call Loke and drag the monster down with my whip.

"Yeah, yeah Luce I hear ya! Isn't this fun?" Natsu howls with laughter as he punches the biggest monster.

"Natsu-san! Lucy-san!"

"Wendy?!" We both yell at the same time as we watch one of these beasts swallow Wendy whole. Charla is screaming and flying in circles over its head while Happy attempts to beat it with a rock.

"Give Wendy back you giant hairy freak!" Natsu charges the monster while I hold back the other two with Loke and Gray. "Eat this!"

"Lucy!" Ezra calls out to me before the big one can crush me under its foot.

"Thanks Ezra!" I manage to roll out of the way as Gray uses his ice cannon to finally bring the thing down. Ezra gets the second one so we all turn to help Natsu get Wendy back. "Natsu move!"

"Huh? Lucy?" he jumps back just in time because I summoned Virgo to help Loke and I beat the monster. "Go Luce!" it took all my effort to time the attack, but we did it. The monster fell and Natsu cut it open to pull Wendy out, the poor girl was covered in blood and guts and looked absolutely horrified. "Wendy you okay?" Natsu is such a worry wart.

"Y-yeah…" she stutters. "I just need a shower. A _really_ hot shower." We all laugh in relief.

"Let's go get our reward huh?" I offer as they stand up and try to brush off as much monster insides as they can.

"Aye sir!" Happy proclaims as he lands on my head.

* * *

Once in town Lucy and Ezra go to claim our reward for a job well done. Gray and I help Wendy back to the hotel that the towns chairman let us stay in. While she took a shower Gray and I packed up everything.

I pack Lucy and I's things while Gray and Happy work on shoving all of Ezra's crap back into their various boxes. Charla has her and Wendy's things taken care of and is quietly watching us pack the rest. Wendy comes out a little while later.

"Wendy do you feel okay?" Charla asks the little girl.

"You smell better kid," I offer and she blushes.

"Charla I'm fine now thank you," Wendy moves to check her stuff and help us with Ezra's mountain of things. We quieted down as we continued to pack and shove things everywhere. However, what was supposed to be a quiet little one-horse town all of a sudden erupted into an uproar right outside our window.

"Don't touch her!" we heard one man yell.

"Oh god somebody do something!" another lady screams.

"What the hell?!" Gray runs to the window with Happy to see what the disturbance is all about. "Oh Mavis…come on guys!" Gray doesn't explain anything before he jumps out the window down to the street below.

"Gray!" we hear Ezra yell as Wendy and I, along with our exceeds, jump to the ground as well. "They say this girl is cursed, but she looks scared to me."

"Yeah I agree what the hell are they doing?" Gray asks flabbergasted as we watch townspeople throw rocks at something.

"What's going on?" I complain. "I can't see anything!"

"Natsu!" Happy says as he grabs the back of my shirt and lifts us up over the crowd. Wendy and Charla follow us.

"Oh no!" Wendy gasps as we take in the scene below us. "Charla take me down!"

"Wendy I don't think—" Charla protests.

"Take me down there right now!" Wendy cuts her off. Happy and I follow them back down into the middle of the crowd. We land right next to the person causing such a spectacle. A young girl, who can't be older than Lucy and I, is limping down the street covered in blood and dirt. "Are you alright?" Wendy approaches this girl without a second thought as the crowd continues to scream obscenities at us.

The girl turns her eyes towards us, they are red. Blood red and dull, no life to be seen inside of them. She opens her mouth but only more blood comes pouring out onto the bricks her eyes lose even more coloring if that's even possible.

"Natsu!" Lucy calls out to me.

"Wendy!" Ezra yells as they try to fight their way through the crowd. Before either of us could respond the girl collapses on the ground with a dull thud. Just then our friends break through the crowd.

"Oh my god!" Lucy cries out as she rushes to the bloody girl's side. "Wendy can you do something?"

"I'll try," Wendy knelt down beside Lucy and begun to examine the now limp body. It doesn't take long before she gasps out in surprise and calls for immediate medical attention.

"Natsu-san we have to get her to a hospital quickly!" Wendy looks up at me with panic clear in her eyes. "She has massive internal bleeding and has lost too much blood!"

"Let her die!" everyone turns their head to see the chairman standing at the head of the crowd.

"Mr. Wiley you can't be serious!" Lucy protests.

"She is a demon child, spawned by black magic and hatred. It is kinder to kill her," the chairman said gravely.

"What do you mean demon child?" Gray asks with a sneer. My friends and I close a tight circle around the bloody girl.

The chairman looks down at the dirt and clenches his fists. "She isn't the first one—" he was cut off by an unearthly scream.

"What the hell?!" Gray and I say at the same time. The bloody girl was withering and lashing out under Wendy. "Wendy!" we both dive in to hold the girl down. The struggle couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, but it felt like eternity. The girl quieted down and finally stopped thrashing, but her breathing remained erratic and her eyes shifted from side to side. "Wendy?" Gray implored with weary eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

Wendy didn't answer she only continued to look after the girl while the chairman started to speak again. "She isn't the first girl to come wandering out of that forest dirty and covered in blood. They all waltz into town, accept no help, scream like she did, and then…" he trailed off with a pointed look at the girl. Just then the girl convulses, spits out more blood, and goes limp.

"No!" Wendy roars as she desperately pours her magic into the girl. "No! No! No, no, no, no, _no_!"

"And then they die," the chairman says with little emotion.

* * *

" _Run…faster—faster_!" the only sound in the still night air is the sound of my footsteps stomping over the forest floor. My breathing is coming out erratic and in short bursts and I can feel my lungs burning. The cuts on my bare feet have long since become numb as new cuts formed from each branch scratching my already swollen skin. " _Death will only be your beginning,_ " the voice hisses through the trees.

A cold shiver runs down my spine and causes me to trip, stumble, and fall on my face. ' _Run_! Run…' I pick myself up as I continue on into the cold night. The darkness closes in around and all I can do is continue to press on.

* * *

'Natsu and Gray sure have been quiet,' I muse to myself as we continue on our way back to Magnolia. 'Wendy seems even more depressed…' Charla is folded into the little girl's arms as they quietly walk next to Gray. Happy rests on her head for comfort. I steal a glance at Ezra who seems to be in deep thought as she gazes out into nothing. I sigh in discontent as I relive those last few horrible moments.

'Natsu and Gray hold that little girl down while Wendy looks on in horror…Ezra holding back the crowd who were ready to kill that sick girl…and then there's me,' I rub at my aching temples in frustration. 'Useless as always.'

"Oi Lucy," Natsu throws me a look over his shoulder. "Come here," he holds out his hand to me. Ever since our last Grand Magic Games he and I have been a lot closer. Sure we were dating before, but after those Games we made it official. I walk quickly to catch up to him and warp my hand inside his warm one. His grip is tight as he continues to look ahead, Magnolia isn't very far now. Maybe another mile or two before we see the town.

"It's going to be dark by the time we get home," I comment hoping to start a conversation.

"Mhm," he mutters in response.

"Do you just want to go home when we get back?"

"No, we have to talk to master about this." I don't respond to this, so we continue on in silence.

* * *

"Welcome back!" Mira-chan sings out to us from behind the bar. "How was the mission…?" she trails off after really looking at us.

"Ezra?" master calls out to me from atop the bar. Laxus and Cana are sitting with him. "What happened my child?"

"We completed the mission master," I reply with little enthusiasm.

"Well that's great isn't it Lu-chan?" Levy asks as she walks up to us.

"Mhm," Lucy agrees. "But something happened…something not so great," she says sadly while holding fast to Natsu.

"What happened?" master inquired. By now everyone has stopped to listen in on our conversation, Waynoka and Evergreen have come to stand by Lucy and Natsu while Romeo and Nikki rush over to Wendy.

"We completed the mission, but…but this girl…" flashbacks of her bloody corpse makes the words die in my throat.

"A girl covered in blood and dirt wandered out of the forest around the town. The chairman said that this was not the first time. She—she died and I couldn't save her," Wendy says through gritted teeth. "All of her organs had been ruptured and she died from massive internal bleeding and blood loss. All of this I learned post mortem along with the fact that she was the eleventh girl this month and the thirty-eighth this year. The townspeople call them demon children and throw stones at them until they convulse and die!" she slams her hand down hard on a tabletop.

"Wendy," the calm voice of Mira rings through the hall. The air has become thick with anxiety and apprehension and yet she always manages to seem so flawless. She walks around the bar and moves right towards the little bluenette. She wraps her arms around her and Wendy breaks down into tears I even hear Lucy finally crack. "Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?" her eyes hold such sincerity that for a moment I felt like crying as well.

"Yes," I reply.

"Can you tell me everything?" she asks after her and Lenore calm Wendy down.

"Yes."

* * *

 **Reviews and ratings are welcomed as always and thanks for taking time to read my stuff it is greatly appreciated.**

 **As always keep it sparkly!**

 **xoxo**

 **Sparkles**


	2. Chapter 2

"I see," master says after Ezra finished explaining everything about our mission. "This is news to me. Gildarts didn't you have a mission out that way a few months ago?" he turned to older man.

"Mhm yeah and those same monsters were plaguing that town back then too. But there wasn't anything about little girls walking around town bloody and half-dead," he muttered.

"What does it mean master?" I ask from under Mira's arm. "Does it have anything to do with her mission?" For the last six months the newest member of our guild, Mahari, has been working with the newly formed Magic Council to try and eradicate the last of the sex slave cells that have been kidnapping mages.

"No, I don't believe this is the same thing Wendy," master said grimly. "I think this is an entirely different problem. Besides Mahari hasn't said anything about information coming from that area."

"How can you be so sure?" Natsu pipes in. He always did speak so informally with everyone even if they could beat him into the ground it always causes me to groan internally. "I mean there have been dozens of these girls how did you not see one, Gildarts?"

"We were only there for a day Natsu," Gildarts grunts in annoyance. "Maybe she needs to stop being so good at her job," the annoyed S-class grumbles.

"You don't really mean that Gildarts," Cana sighs. "Oi, so you gonna take charge of this mission Wendy?"

"Huh?" I look at her incredulously. "What do you mean? Shouldn't a more experienced mage look into this problem?!"

"Wendy you were the first to respond to this problem we knew nothing about. It's up to you, but I think you should lead this mission," master replies.

"I-I don't know if I can…" I stutter. "That girl sh-she was just so—so broken and I was so scared," I whisper meekly. "Her injuries were like nothing I've ever seen before," I look down at my shoes in shame. 'Haven't I gotten any stronger than this?'

"Wendy," Mira chuckles while dropping down to my level. "You've grown so very strong in the few months. Yet you lack self-confidence and that worries me greatly. I believe in you and so does everyone else here," at that the entire hall erupts in cheers. "So, do not fret my dear. Take your team and whoever else you think you'll need and finish this mission mhm?" she smiled brightly at me.

I smile back at her finally, "okay!"

* * *

"Wendy can't you sit down for a moment?" my best friend sighs exasperatedly at me. I've been pacing back and forth in my room ever since we left the guild. "Please you're going to give yourself a headache."

"Charla how can you be so calm about this?" I snap at her. "That girl…she wasn't much younger than me. Something terrible has happened to her and there was nothing I could do for her!" Before she could respond there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

"Um Wendy are you alright?" it was Nikki. "I could hear you from down the hallway."

"Oh I'm sorry Nikki," I sigh finally sitting down. "I'm just so frustrated is all. I don't think I can do this mission, besides those townspeople don't seem like they're going to be much help. I think they're going to hate us once we start looking into this thing—and after we did such a nice job on the mission," I rub at my temples vigorously.

"You know Romeo and I will help you with this," she says as she sits down next to me and rubs my back.

"Aren't you going with Laki on that really big mission in three days?" I inquire.

"W-well yes, but that can be put off!" she tries to reassure me.

"No," I say softly as I place my hand over hers. "Thank you, but it's okay I have my team!" I try to say brightly. "Besides you have to make rent and I wouldn't want to be a burden to you." Nikki laughs lightly causing a small blush to dust her dark cheeks.

"You never cease to amaze me Wendy," she smiles radiantly at me. "You are not a burden to me. You're one of my best friends," her purple eyes dance with mirth as she hugs me. "If you are so sure that you will be okay without me then I understand. I trust Lucy and Gray to keep you safe. But take as many people as you can this mission sounds…troublesome and I don't want you to get mixed up in something you can't handle."

"What about Natsu and Ezra?" I tease trying to quell the raising unease I feel.

"No," she replied with a deadpan look. "Those two have to earn my trust back after that whole theater mission," she practically growls. I laugh, actually laugh at her face.

"You have to admit Nikki that was really fun though," I smile at her. Her expression relaxes as she breaks out into an easy grin.

"Yeah well it doesn't mean it was right of them to pillage and plunder the place before Natsu burnt it down," she sighs as she remembered the whole fiasco. "Well Nee-san will be home tomorrow and I promised her the house would be clean, so I gotta get going." We both stood up and moved to the door. "Good luck Wendy, I believe in you," she says before giving me one final hug. I shut the door quietly behind her and a silence falls over me and Charla again.

"Let's get to work Charla."

* * *

"…no I haven't seen her yet today," Lucy relies nervously as we all glance around the guild for our tiniest teammate.

"I'm sure she's gonna be here soon. We can't do this without her," Gray, who was usually a statue, had worry etched all over his face.

"I'm sorry everyone!" just before I get up to start a search party Wendy comes crashing through the door with Charla and Levy right behind her. "I overslept!"

"No need to apologize Wendy," Charla chides. All three of the women have bags heavy under their dull eyes.

"Lu-chan I'm coming with you on this mission," Levy says as they walk up to the group.

"Eh? Shrimp whadd about our mission together?" Gajeel whines before swallowing a nail whole.

"Sorry Gajeel-kun that's going to have to wait. This mission…this mission is going to be brutal." Levy casted her eyes downward towards Wendy.

"Whadd ya mean Levy?" I question.

"That girl that you saw Natsu—that girl wasn't human. At least not anymore," she relied, her face darkening.

"Eh?!" half the hall yells, clearly listening in to our conversation.

"Look here," Wendy holds open a giant book. The book was old red leather that had seen better days, the binding had two firm golden clasps holding it shut. However, Levy seemed to have the key and they opened the book to a page towards the end. "See how these pictures kind of look like that girl?" Wendy points to a dark and sinister looking creature with dull red eyes and blood running down its front side.

"That's disgusting!" Lucy intones while holding a hand over her mouth. "Wendy what are you talking about?"

"No Lu-chan this description is right. Look—a child of no more than its eighteenth year will work. The younger the better for the spell works well over the uncorrupted youth the best."

"What?" a powerful voice from the door called out. "What did you say Levy-san?" we all turn to see Mahari standing at the door with Evergreen and Nikki by her side. Laxus was up and across the room in a moment. "What's this spell you are reciting?" she doesn't even acknowledge her lover as she quickly crosses the hall.

"Just listen," Charla snaps before turning back to Wendy and Levy.

"Well if Wendy is correct then this girl was about her age or around fifteen. With hair as pure as the first snow and eyes as red as the blood of the innocent shall your creation come to life. Which…isn't that what you said she looked like Natsu?" everyone turned to me and I gulped.

"I mean I couldn't tell her hair color she was covered in mud, but her eyes…you're right they were red. A very violent red," I muse as images of that horrific scene play behind my eyes. Lucy grabs my arm and pulls herself closer to me before speaking.

"What does it all mean Levy-chan?" she asks with hesitation.

"That we have a very powerful enemy. Someone who uses a darker form of magic—a perverse form. It's—it's a um…"

"It's a puppet spell," Mahari interrupts with a sudden darkness surrounding her.

"Right," Levy mumbles.

"We must leave at once—!"

"I think not Mahari," the old man decided to come down the stairs at this point. "We have a very important meeting with the High Council in three days' time and we must prepare for it. I am sure Wendy and her team are more than capable of handling this."

"But Makarov-sama this is my area of expertise!"

"I will not hear another word about this Mahari!" master yelled at her. I watched as her temper, and magic, flared for a moment.

"If you should require my knowledge Wendy-chan call me," she levels her gaze at the old man. "Who is going on this mission with you?" she inquired.

"Um…"

"I am," I say before she can answer.

"Natsu-san," Wendy throws a kind smile my way.

"Me too," Lucy seconds.

"Aye sir!" both Happy and Gray agree.

"I shall be assisting Wendy on this mission as well," Ezra replied.

"I'm going to help with the research," Levy answered.

"I'm goin' cause she's goin'," Gajeel grumbled.

"I got your back tenny-tiny," Laxus said while rubbing Wendy's head. "I'll keep an eye on her don't worry," he says before kissing Mahari's cheek.

"Well that's settled then," the old windbag says with a nod. "Now get going you brats and don't tarnish the Fairy Tail name!" the whole hall erupted into a loud unintelligible mass of sound. I looked over at my team and even though we were strong there was a dreary look about us.

'This mission isn't going to be any fun at all,' I think despairingly.

* * *

 **Okay, hi...sorry! I really want to work on this story and I am so going to! It's just that well...I only have TWO WEEKS LEFT until I graduate from college! So for now I am going to focus on those papers that need to be written and the tests that require study time. However, here is the latest chapter and I hope it meets everyone standards!**

 **Also note from last time: you DO NOT have to read my last story to understand this one. I just wanted to keep writing for my OCs from _Lost and Found,_ but they are not the main characters. **

**As always please, please, please feel free to rate and review! I love hearing from everyone :)**

 **Keep it sparkly!**

 **xoxo**

 **Sparkles**


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours—and trains—later we find ourselves back at the scene of the crime. This small and inconspicuous town of Thistle located on the outskirts of Fiore harbors a dark secret. Poor Laxus and Natsu were hanging out the window looking very green. Lucy was trying very hard to ease her boyfriend's pain while I hold Laxus' hand. Ezra and all the exceeds have fallen asleep in a pile next to Grey who was quietly smoking out the window. Levy and Gajeel were sitting across from the sick Natsu and Lucy pouring over journals and scrolls.

"Nay, Levy-san?" I whisper to try and not worsen the other Dragon Slayers headaches.

"Mhm? What's up Wendy?" she turns her sharp eyes towards me.

"Is Gajeel-san doing okay? I mean has my spell run its course yet?" we both look over at the Iron Dragon who was busy reading through a book.

"No, I think he's fine right now," she whispers back with a smile. "Are you doing okay? Did you want to read the book again?"

"No," I sigh with a huff. "That book is only depressing."

"I know," she replied with a sympathetic sigh. Gajeel made a weird gagging noise at that moment and the next the book he was reading was on the floor and his head was hanging out the window. "Well I guess it wore off now," Levy giggles while patting his back. That ended that conversation and I went back to rubbing circles on the back on Laxus' hand to distract myself. The clock on the wall read seven in the morning, we were ten minutes away from the last stop on this track. When I looked out the window I could see the sea, it looked so calm and reminded me of a story Mahari once told me. It was about a lady who was able to fall to the bottom of the sea and live in peace beneath the waves. That sounded very nice at the moment, to fall without really falling.

"Ah!" Natsu cried as he kissed the ground of the train platform. "Solid earth is the greatest thing!" Both Laxus and Gajeel were looking better as well as we all gathered our belongings and headed out into the town. Lucy and Levy fell into a deep conversation about the notes Levy and Gajeel made in the books and scrolls. While at the same time Ezra, Laxus, and Pantherlily were discussing an action plan. Charla and Happy kept me company as we walked the familiar path back into the town of Thistle.

All I could think about was what Mahari told us about the puppet spell and that poor girl I couldn't save.

* * *

 _"Remember Wendy-chan puppet spells are strongest when the wielder has a hold of the victim's blood," Mahari-san was scanning through the book while she spoke. "Under no circumstances should any of you bleed, do you understand?" she looked at me with nostalgia in her eyes. Of course I knew better than to think her memories were pleasant; Nikki says she still has nightmares._

 _"Yes Mahari-san, I understand," I reply automatically. "What makes this puppet spell different from others?"_

 _"Unlike most puppet spells you see today this one can not only control the body of the victim but the soul as well. If you control the soul…" her eyes narrowed and her hand automatically stroked the scar on her face. "You can own the person."_

* * *

"Wendy we're here," Charla draws me out of my memories. The edge of Thistle came into view as our group continued on. Natsu and Gray were up at the front arguing about something childish again while Levy and Lucy conversed with Ezra as Gajeel quietly listened in.

'Where is Laxus-kun?' I think right before a large forearm rests on my head. "Eep!"

"You ready for this?" he drawled out lazily. "What was the name of the girl we're looking for again?" he asked.

"Mandy-san," I reply. "Her grandfather hired Fairy Tail last year to help with a monster problem. Her and Gildarts-san finished the mission together," I remember.

"Wendy!" Levy calls out to me.

"Yes?"

"Which way to Mandy-san's house?" she inquires.

"They live on a farm outside of Thistles on the northern side," I point behind the mayor's mansion. "Look for sheep is what Mahari-san said."

"Okay!" her and Lucy shout back with smiles. Natsu and Gray have joined them at this point as Laxus and I attempt to catch up. It took us only ten minutes to walk to Mandy's house, but to our dismay no one was home.

"What now?" Gajeel gruffs as we search the perimeter of the house again. Natsu and Lucy have ventured out into the forest where we first came to this town. Levy and Ezra took Pantherlily and Charla to check from the air, while Gray and Laxus went back into the town. "Wanna break in?" he grins down at me.

"Gajeel-san!" I scold. He was just about to bust in the door when we heard a soft voice behind us.

"What do you think you're doin'?" we both turn around startled to find a tiny girl next to an even smaller man who was pulling a cart full of wool.

"Um," I had no idea how to explain Gajeel's recklessness.

"You Mandy?" Gajeel interjects without apology.

"Who's askin'?" the girl quips. She cocked her hip out and placed a fist on it as she glared at the two of us.

"Fairy Tail, Mahari sent us," he answers with a grin.

"Oh! You're Mahari-san's friends!" the old man says enthusiastically. "Come in! Come in! How is Mahari-san doing? Did she finally marry that old crotchety dragon she's been writin' to me about? How about that man…Gildarts-san was it? Yes, yes Gildarts-san!" the old man pushed us into the house with Mandy grumbling behind him. He did not stop for one second to let us speak. "It is so nice that Mahari-san writes to me every month! I know she is a busy gal, but it is so nice of her to think of us! Right Mandy?" he turns his old eyes towards the girl.

"Yeah grandpa she is very nice," there was no malice to her words only a weariness that ran deep. "So, I suppose we don't have to tell ya why our town needs help huh?" she asks, cutting off her grandfather's ramblings.

"N-no," I stutter. Gajeel grunts in disapproval and an awkward silence falls between the four of us.

"I thought there was supposed to be a whole lot of ya'll?" Mandy finally asks to break the silence.

"Our friends are out looking for you actually," I reply sheepishly.

"Don't any of ya'll know how farmin' works?" Mandy raised her eyebrow at us.

"We didn't think we would have to be waitin' around for you if you were supposed to know we were comin'," Gajeel counters.

Mandy opens to mouth to protest and then shuts it quickly. "Sorry 'bout that, it's been gettin' harder and harder to sell our product since everyone in town knows we are friends of Mahari," I cast my eyes downward remembering their almost full cart of wool. "But we're too stubborn to change," she suddenly laughs a small, tired laugh. "Besides I'm sick of seein' those poor souls walkin' through my town hurtin' as bad as they're probably hurtin'," she clinched her fists at her sides. "Knowin' there's nothin' I can do for them…"

"You're helping us Mandy-san," I say boldly as I step closer to her. The house is much more spacious that I thought it was going to be, but it was still small, there wasn't much distance to cover between us. "And we're going to solve this terrible problem—together," I smile at her as I grab her hand. Mandy looks at me and I realize then that we are the same height, her bright blue eyes sparkled in the dimming light from the sun and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Right," she agreed before giving my hand a squeeze. "Together."

* * *

"So what do you want to know?" Mandy asks us after everyone finally made their way back to the farm. Ezra was still out putting their wagon back in the barn while Gajeel and Lucy helped Mandy cook in the kitchen. I and the rest of the team were sitting in the living room adjacent to the kitchen with Mandy's grandfather. "I hope I can help, but there isn't much known about those poor souls."

"What do you know Mandy?" Lucy asks. "Anything would be helpful at this point."

"Yeah, like do you know which part of the forest they usually come from?" Levy asks as Ezra walks into the house.

"Or has it always been girls?" Laxus questions.

"What about anything that any of the victims might have said?" I ask. Mandy gives a sad sideways glance to her grandfather who only sighs deeply.

"Well no one have ever heard any of them speak before, they usually only have blood stream from their mouth if they do open it. As to it always being girls from what we see come into town it has always been young girls," his eyes drift off out the back window where we can see nothing but forest. "It seems they always come from the heart of the forest—back that way," he points out the window towards a mountain range. "Not sure where but before the town folk got too scared of them our doc took a look. He said that it didn't appear any of them were near the coast, no sand or saltwater residue on them and they couldn't have been too near the mountain."

"How can he be sure of that?" Ezra asks.

"No sent of pine or trace of the specific rocks of that mountain," the old man replies.

"So," Levy starts as she rolls open a scroll. "We need to look into finding caves or large rock structures in the forest itself," she placed her speed reading glasses on as she scanned the scroll again and made more notes on it.

"Or hidden barriers that could be hiding wherever these girls are coming from," Gray interjects.

"Aye sir!" Happy agrees. Charla and Patherlily both nod their heads in agreement while a small silence fills the home.

"Foods done," Gajeel huffs awkwardly while him and Lucy start dishing out portions. Mandy is pouring drinks as we gather in the tiny kitchen.

"Sorry it's all we have…" Mandy blushes in embarrassment.

"It's perfect," Natsu tries to reassure her with a toothy grin. We all sit down in various places to eat our meal and discuss strategies. "Well I think in the end Wendy is going to have to make the call," Natsu declares after him and Gray butt heads about who would storm the hideout.

"Huh?" I blink in confusion.

"Well the old man left you in charge of this mission Wendy," Natsu states in such a nonchalant tone.

"W-wh-what?!" I stutter. 'I can't make battle decisions!' I think hopelessly.

"Come on teeny tiny Mahari believes in you," Laxus says reassuringly while patting the top of my head.

"Wendy we'll follow you," Lucy says with a smile as she clears dishes.

"Yeah Wendy we came here because we have your back!" Levy laughed as she stood up. "We just have to make sure our research is sound and move from there!"

"Aye sir!" both Happy and Natsu shouted together.

"If Mahari-san believe in you, then I do too Wendy," Mandy looks over at me with earnest eyes.

"Um," I mutter under my breath I try to hide my face, but my hair is too short now. 'I just had to go and chop it all off…'

"Well no one is going anywhere tonight," the old man interjects before anyone else can sing my praise. "It is getting too cold and it's already too dark out for any adventuring tonight. Mandy go gab all of our blankets and such for our guest," he waves at her in a fetching gesture.

"Yes grandpa!" she gets up and goes into one of the three rooms in the house with a door. When she comes back out she has her arms full of blankets and pillows. "I hope there is enough here for everyone," she says sheepishly.

"Mandy you have enough for an army!" I reply wide-eyed. We thanked them both profusely and they humbly accepted our gratitude with smiles.

"Anything to help Mahari-san and her friends," the old man said with a laugh. "Now get some rest everyone," we all said goodnight and settled in for the night. Once everyone was sound asleep I crept out from under my covers and walked out the back door. I stood in the cold night's air and stared off into the distance of the expansive forest. I felt my heart sink when I thought about all that ground that is hiding those poor girls. I couldn't help myself as the tears streamed silently down my face as I thought of that poor girl we saw only last week who had died right here in the middle of the town.

Anger slowly started to build up in my chest and I could feel my temper flare as I thought of the awful way these townspeople treated her. "Don't worry," I say through gritted teeth, "I'll find you. I will," I promise to the wind and the moon.

* * *

 **Alright! I finally get this chapter the way I wanted it! lol it took some time, but then again doesn't it always? Anyways let me know what you think, and words are always appreciated!**

 **Happy New Years everyone! May 2016 be your best year yet!**

 **Keep it sparkly**

 **xoxo**

 **Sparkles**


	4. Chapter 4

I just couldn't run anymore. I was going in circles and I've finally reached the breaking point. The voice that has haunted me for what—weeks? Months?—it only chuckled as my feet slowed, the blood started to form pools, and I slumped against a tree. I felt every broken bone, every torn muscle, and all hope vanish as I crashed into the unforgiving earth. 'This is a good place to die…' my mind whispers to me as my eyes slide shut. Before I completely lose consciousness I hear the sound of branches snapping and voices screaming and wailing. 'I've been found.'

* * *

As the sun broke over the horizon everyone started to move. I heard Lucy knock Natsu off a couch as the exceeds yawn and stretch next to Ezra and Gray. Gajeel let out a very loud yawn before kicking Levy out of her blankets, a string of curse words followed. "Mornin' lazy butts!" came the chipper voice of Mandy through the front door. "Ya'll are up late!" she was enjoying my groups grumblings as we all managed to finally make it to our feet. All of us looked disheveled—bags under eyes, hair mused, skin less than glowing.

"Breakfast will be up shortly," Mandy says in a quieter tone. Her head disappears from the window as we folded up the blankets and begun to think about what lays ahead of us. Lucy and Gajeel were once again in the kitchen as Levy, Ezra, Laxus, and I go over the maps and books again. Gray, Natsu, and Pantherlily were outside helping with the morning chores on the farm while Charla and Happy shuffled between the groups.

"So, this is the best option then?" Ezra blew out an exasperated sigh. She was checking our map again and recalculating the route.

"Mhm," Levy hummed in shared distress. "It's the only one that will lead towards the mountain and hit more of the terrain than if we went in a straight line." Levy took off her speed reading glasses and rubbed at her eyes. I was pouring over the notes and writings about the puppet spell. "How are we going to know if we find the right place?"

"What do you mean Shrimp?" Gajeel retorts with a snort.

"Do we really believe we're going to stumble across a big building with a bunch of colorless children hanging out in it?" she lifted her eyebrow in defiance. Everyone was quiet as we contemplated this new thought.

"We're back!" Mandy sing-songed as she burst through the door. Her attitude sure has changed in a short amount of time. Her grandfather walked in behind her and headed straight for the kitchen to look after Gajeel and Lucy. Gray and Natsu follow last with wood stocked under both of their arms. "You can set the firewood in the bin by the kitchen," Mandy points. The boys grunt as they unload their burden into the bin before sitting down at the table.

"Are you okay with this route Wendy?" Ezra says interrupting my internal turmoil.

"Huh? O-oh yeah this will be fine. You did a good job Levy," I try to smile and reassure them. Ezra shot me a disbelieving glance but was interrupted by Natsu before she could say anything.

"Oi when are we leavin'?" he groans while rocking in the chair.

"After breakfast Natsu," Lucy scolds him. They start lightly arguing while Gray rolls his eyes. Gajeel throws bacon at Natsu and yells at him to shut up and Ezra growls at the whole group to be more respectful. Levy continues to rub at her eyes.

We all eat breakfast in a relative silence only broken by the cries of birds and the forest waking up around us. I stare out the back window into the deep green sea. 'Maybe this is a different version of Mahari-san's tale?' I think as I help clean the dishes. Finally departure could not be put off, we all said our farewells to Mandy and her grandfather. They promised to keep an eye out for us and we promised to return.

* * *

As we walked Gajeel would mark trees pointing us back the way we came and indicating where we were going. Lucy helped Levy navigate while Ezra led the whole party. I stood silently by Laxus while Charla walks next to me. The forest was huge and it swallowed up all the sound, even listening to the wind was hard. Sure there were birds chirping and small animals underfoot rustling about the brush, but it all sounded so distant and muted. "This place is eerie isn't it?" Laxus comments to break up the quiet.

"I'll say," Charla agrees. "It's like the forest is eating the sounds, it's creepy."

"Levy which way?" Ezra questions as we reach a strange tangle of trees that lead in multiple directions.

"We'll take the right path and follow its twisting. This one intersects the far left path somehow…" she trails off as she continues to follow the map.

"Natsu! Gray! Will you two stop bickering! I can't even hear properly as is!" Ezra barks at the boys who decided to play a hearing contest. I sigh in frustration as I try my hardest to hear anything that might point us in the right direction.

'Or towards trouble,' my mind nags at me.

"Wendy?" Charla tugs at my leggings. I look down at her, "are you alright?"

"No," I don't even hesitate in telling her the truth. "Not until whoever is doing this is stopped."

"We'll stop this person, Wendy. No matter what," Charla smiles at me reassuringly and for the first time in a few days I feel hope. I smile down at my best friend and before I can respond I hear a very distinctive thump come from my right.

"W-wait! Stop! Everyone stop!" I whirl around and stick my nose in the air. The air is so stagnant and stale in this forest, it makes it hard to breathe. Then came the second thump. "This way!" I take off into the forest off the path before anyone could stop me.

"Wendy!"

"What's going on?!"

"Please slow down!" I hadn't even realized that I was pushing myself forward faster with my magic. But I couldn't stop, there haven't been any other sounds for a few seconds now and I had to catch the echo before it faded completely. Everyone was still trying to catch up to me while I stopped to sniff the air again, I felt my muscles tense up and tears threaten to spill at the vile taste that now coated my mouth.

'Blood!' I tear off deeper into the forest while everyone was only a few paces behind me now. Laxus and Charla screamed my name while Lucy and Ezra pleaded with me to slow down. Natsu and Gray simply ran harder from the sounds of their labored breathing. Pantherlily and Happy have taken to the skies as their shadows barely keep up with me. I bank around and older looking oak tree and I skid over a few fallen leaves, but it doesn't stop me. I sniff the air before taking a hard left up a slight incline. 'There…it's there!' I practically slam into a young tree as I trip over my feet trying to stop.

"Wendy what the hell is happening!?" Laxus roars. I finally manage to stop and fall to my knees at the sight before me. "Wendy what are yo—oh, my god…" Laxus' rage dies on his tongue. There at the foot of the small hill is a body, drained of color and not moving. Ezra and the rest finally manage to catch up and everyone takes in a collective breath at the sight.

"Are…are they—?" Lucy chokes on her words as her tears fill my nose. Levy lets a small sob escape from her lips and even Gajeel makes a disgruntled sound. Pantherlily and Happy have landed on either side of me while Charla walks over to grab my hand. It felt like someone was going to say something else, but then we all saw it. The body it moved.

I sprang to my feet; I hadn't realized I fell to my knees, and I ran to the person. I grunted as I rolled them over and I did not hesitate my treatment. 'Work on the blood…there's contamination in—in the blood. Fix the bones and set them right—keep it constant!' my mind was reeling. I was mending bones, draining toxins, and closing flesh wounds all while trying to remember everything I've read. 'The blood—the blood is the most important. We can't spill…' my thoughts were sporadic and my mind was in a state of unrest as I tried desperately to save them. My magic was starting to dwindle and I continued on, unrelenting and unyielding until all of the blood was cleaned.

* * *

 _"You have to wash the blood," Mahari stated._

 _"What?" I ask bewildered._

 _"In the end there is probably something in the blood of the victims. Puppet magic wielders are obsessive when it comes to blood. If this person is controlling this many victims…" her voice trailed off for a moment. "Then they've probably had to do something to the blood. Make it call out to the wielder somehow." I could see this particular mission was hitting close to home for her. "Here let me show you a spell…"_

* * *

"Stay with me…stay with me…stay with me…stay w-with m-me…stay—stay…stay here," I didn't even notice I was speaking until I snapped back from my memory. 'The spell! Mahari-san's spell!' without stopping my magic I shifted the way I focused it. " _Sanguinem emundabit mundate vitae_ ," I whisper. Suddenly my magic isn't glowing blue, it's tainted to a dark red.

"W-Wendy?" Lucy murmurs as I continue to repeat the spell. The blood is pouring out red, a deep red that usually warns of the brink of death. However I did not stop it was also spurting out black tar like sludge. I chanced moving my right hand to remove the sludge while my left hand continued to pool the blood. I was starting to see spots and the edges of my vision were blurry as I swayed back and forth.

"Jar," I managed to whisper. "I need a jar…" I don't know who responded but a jar was placed under my right hand and I dropped the sludge into the container. I shook my head to clear my vision as I brought my right hand back to my left. I worked on placing the blood back into the veins from the pool I've created. I wove the life giving fluid back into the veins and with my last amount of strength I restarted the heart. I heard it thump back to live and a deep breathe taken in before I passed out.

* * *

 **I was struck by inspiration! From where I don't know, but am I going to question it? Nope! Anyways please don't hate on my terrible Latin. Yes I Googled it and no I don't own a Latin to English dictionary. Anyways if you like it, hate it, or just like commenting please drop me a line! Thanks for reading :)**

 **Keep it sparkly**

 **xoxo**

 **Sparkles**


	5. Chapter 5

A murmur of voices surrounded me and when I tried to respond I found I could not even open my eyes. My head felt like lead and my limbs were ghosts all around me, I felt like throwing up. 'Where am I?' I think groggily. The voices around me recede and a calm quiet settles in, the weight in my head sloshes around causing a sensation of vertigo. 'I'm going to puke…' I think forlornly. A cool hand presses down on my heavy head and a strange lightness fills me. I hum in appreciation for the contact and let the lightness fill me up until I could finally manage to crack my eyes open. It was gradual and the sudden light made my eyes burn, but I opened them nonetheless.

"Thank goodness," a small sweet voice says filling my ears. "You're finally awake." I slump my head in the direction of the voice and come face to face with a girl. She was small probably about my age with dark blue hair and a concerned look on her features. I try to speak but my throat is so dry and I can't seem to remember how to use my lips. "It's okay you shouldn't speak just yet. My name is Wendy Marvel and you're safe now," she smiles down at me. I try to smile back but something about her words makes my skin crawl.

'Something's not right…where am I?' I feel panic swell in the throat and I choke on my hysteria.

"Wait! Wait! Please stop moving!" the girl holds my arms down, I hadn't even realized I could move them. "You're going to rip out the IV! You are dehydrated and need fluids desperately! Please just…just trust me," her big eyes shine down at me with honesty and terror. The same terror that I'm sure is mirrored in my own eyes. I finally had control over my limbs and I stopped fighting her and settled back against the bed. I'm just so tired and confused. "You must be so lost right now," she murmurs softly. "I'm going to try my very best to help you. My friends and I won't stop until we find out who did this to you." Her eyes held a determination I haven't seen in a long time.

'She reminds me of someone…someone important,' my mind reels trying to regain its lost components. "Wh—where am—ugh…" my voice cracks and breaks off.

"You can speak!" she gasps. Even though I still feel like throwing up I manage to roll my eyes at her. "Well don't give me that attitude mister! How was I supposed to know! The last one…" her voice trailed off and her eyes took on a glassy quality. I felt that panic surge through my veins again as I try to correct whatever blunder I made. I moved my hand to reach out to her, but it was so heavy and I am so tired I couldn't do more that twitch my figures. Her eyes are sharp though and she moves to lace her fingers through mine. "Thank you," she smiles sweetly. "I know you must be so scared, but I promise I'll explain everything to you later. It's late now and you need rest to heal your body and mind. I'll give you some pain killers," she turns to fiddle with something behind her. Almost immediately I feel a hazy quality flood my system and I fight against the sleep that tries to drag me under.

"Shh…sleep for now," her voice is far away and dreamlike as my subconscious takes over and I slip back into the darkness. Only this time it's soft and warm and not the cold and oppressive darkness I'm used to. "Goodnight."

* * *

"So, what's the verdict?" Gajeel asks when I come out of the bedroom.

"Stable," I reply sleepily. I rub my eyes and yawn as I stretch out my back, we all hear a very satisfying series of popping noises.

"Did he ever wake up?" Levy questions.

I sigh before turning back to look at the closed door, "yeah he did."

"And?" Levy and Lucy prompted. Both girls and Gajeel watched me closely which made me shift nervously. I am so tired and really don't feel like answering medical inquires right now.

"And nothing he didn't say anything really coherent. What's going on with the search team?" I defect.

"Mhm…" Levy muses sadly. "The last transmission Ezra sent over the lacrima wasn't promising. They still can't seem to figure out which way the boy came from. Natsu and Laxus couldn't pick up his scent anywhere—how did you find him Wendy?" she gave me a curious gaze. I yawn once again before walking over to the kitchen where Lucy was warming up something to eat.

"What is that Lucy-san?" I take a deep breath and practically purr when the herbs hit my nose. Levy makes an annoyed sound behind me but thankfully Gajeel cajoles her into leaving me alone.

"Just some chicken. Do you want potatoes too?" Lucy asks while she continued to heat the chicken in a pan over the stove.

"Thanks Lucy-san that sounds wonderful!" I chirp. She smiles down at me with warmth, but I could still see the worry etched into her furrowed brow when she turned back to the food. I move stand under her arms as she worked on the food, she gave a contented sigh before resting her head on mine. She continues to work around me as she grabs the potatoes and throws them in the pan as well. They sizzle and pop and give off an earthy smell which makes my stomach growl loudly. A blush crept across my cheeks as Lucy laughed lightly shaking the both of us. I heard Gajeel laugh aloud and I even heard Levy giggle at my expense, but I was glad she wasn't grouchy with me anymore.

"Alright let's eat," Lucy sing-songs. Gajeel and Levy come over and sit down as Lucy and I get the table set up. We all dig in and eat in a relative silence for a while, Mandy and her grandfather had gone to the town to make sure our little adventure into the woods wasn't being spread around town. So far no one has come poking around so they must be doing a good job of it.

"I couldn't smell him," I say abruptly.

"Huh?" they all turned to stare at me.

"I couldn't smell him…not really," I mutter.

"Then how did you find him kiddo?" Gajeel questions.

"It was…a shift in the winds," I reply lamely. "I-I could feel something was wrong and then I heard him drop more than anything. A soft 'thump' sound that seemed unnatural in that eerie stillness."

"Well whatever you did Wendy you saved his life because of it," Lucy reassures me with a pat on my hand.

"You should probably get some sleep kiddo," Gajeel says as he picks up my plate along with his own. Levy stands up and stretched out her arms before grabbing her own plate and moving to the sink.

"No Lu-chan me and Gajeel can clean since you cooked," Levy smiled at her friend. "And you," she whirls around to face me, "go to bed missy. You've worked hard enough today."

"I'm gonna call them back," Lucy interjects before patting my head and moving to the living room. I watch and Gajeel and Levy get to work on cleaning the kitchen, Levy hums a little tune and I watch as Gajeel sways to the beat. Gradually they move closer together until Gajeel bumped her with his hip and she momentarily stopped humming to laugh lightly. Without seeing any reason to stay in the kitchen and I wasn't in the mood to listen to Lucy murmur happily into the lacrima. So, I turned back down the hall until I was pushing open the makeshift medic room door again and went to snuggle with the cats on the pile of blankets I put out for them earlier.

Lily mumbled something in his sleep but rolled over so I could squish in between him and Charla. Happy managed to shuffle over and curl around my head before sighing contently. Charla curled into my side and fisted my shirt in her tiny paw. However, I couldn't sleep and so I stayed up listening to the quiet murmurs from the sleeping boy and the return of the rest of my friends. Once everyone was back in the house and a quiet settled over everything my restless mind finally stopped and sleep overcame me.

* * *

"She'll need more rest than that," a soft voice whispers at the back of my subconscious.

"But the boy—" another voice interjected, but was promptly cut off.

"Will be fine."

"She doesn't look very well does she?" another soft voice murmurs and a soft stroke of my hair is followed shortly after.

"Come on Luce let's get going," this time I recognized the voice as Natsu's and began to stir.

The first voice sighed in frustration, "see you've woken her up!" I realized then that it was Ezra that spoke.

"What's goin' on?" I ask sleepily while rubbing at my eyes.

I look up and see Lucy and Ezra standing over me while Natsu and Gray stand right by the door. "We're heading out to continue our search for where the boy came from," Ezra says with a pointed glare at the boys. "We were going to let you sleep. You used too much magic and energy yesterday."

I shuffled to my feet quickly and regretted it instantly when my head became light and all the blood rushed into my feet. With my feet feeling like lead and my head spinning in circles I attempted to walk to the door. Gray grabs my arm before I fall on my face like the mess I am. I feel a blush heat my cheeks all the way down to my throat as I mumble a thank you to him. "See? You need to stay here and rest," Ezra pushes.

"But…but I'm the only one who was able to track in the forest," I protest.

"And who is gonna protect him?" Laxus walks into the room at that moment. "He's in worse shape than you teeny tiny. He needs you, we'll figure something out."

I turn my gaze to the boy on the bed, he's brow is knitted tightly as he fidgets in his sleep. A sheen of sweat covers his whole body from the looks of it and his eyes are shifting rapidly underneath his lids. Overall he looks terrible and a pang of guilt surges through me, of course Lucy and Levy have some experience in healing magic but they're not me. I shift my gaze back to Laxus and he is smiling at me with that stupid grin that for some reason Mahari-san really loves. I just think he looks like a showoff with that smile, but at least he is kind. "So what do you say tiny?" he asks.

I took a deep breath to relax my muscles, "okay. Okay I'll stay here, but call me alright?" I say. I glance at everyone in the room before Natsu comes over and slings his arm across my shoulders.

"Don't worry Wendy!" he says brightly. "Today is the day we're gonna find whoever is behind this!" he laughed fully before pulling me into a tight hug. "Just take care of him okay?" he whispered quietly into my hair. I stifle a giggle at his antics before hugging him back.

"Okay Natsu-san," I relpy.

"Let's get going guys!" Levy says from down the hall. "The sun is coming up now."

"Move it Salamander! You're burning daylight!" Gajeel growls.

"Shut up metal head! Levy just said the sun isn't even up yet!" he growls back.

"Let's move," Ezra commander and everyone jumps into action. Laxus ruffles my hair before walking out behind Gray who threw me a quick smirk. Natsu planted a quick kiss to the top of my head before grabbing Lucy's hand.

"We'll see you really soon okay Wendy?" she smiled at me.

"Okay Lucy-san," I answer with a smile of my own. I hear them gathering their gear before opening the back door and heading out into the forest.

"Oi Wendy," I turn around startled at the deep voice.

"Pantherlily!" I exclaim. "You frightened me! What are you still doing here?" I question.

"Happy and Charla went with the group."

"Huh? Charla left me?" I reply glumly.

"She really didn't want to, but Ezra made a good point thinking that her ability to see the future could potentially lead them to the hideout."

"Oh…" I sigh. 'That is a good point. But still…'

"I hope that I am a suitable substitute," he quirks an eyebrow at me. His look makes me flush as I realize that I had hurt his feelings.

"I'm sorry Pantherlily! You know you're my friend too, right?" I ask hastily. He only laughs.

"I know Wendy I'm not givin' ya a hard time. I'll go see what's in the kitchen if you wanna look after the boy," he didn't give me a chance to respond before he walked out the door. Once I hear Lily rummaging through the kitchen I turn back to the mysterious boy.

"Just what happened to you?" I muse as I walk over and check his vitals.

* * *

"This is so boring!" Natsu complains from the front of the pack.

"Aye…" Happy mumbles miserably over him. I sigh in frustration as my boot strap digs into my calf causing me to stop and itch at it.

"Tell me again why we left Laxus back where we found the boy yesterday?" he grumbled. "At least with him here I could have spared with him."

"He's trying to track from whatever scent is leftover Natsu," Ezra chided him. "And no you could not have spared with him." Those two share a heated glare before Gray knocked Natsu in the back of the head. I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, too focused on my leg.

"Are you okay Lu-chan?" Levy asks while turning around to walk back towards me. We hear Gajeel complain about women issues as he slows his pace ahead of us. Ezra and Gray turn to gaze at us, but otherwise do not reduce their speed.

"No," I admit to my best friend. "I'm worried about Wendy—and that boy."

"Don't worry," she chirped, but I could see the stress in the corners of her eyes. "It's gonna be okay."

"What else have you learned from those scrolls and book Levy-chan?" I ask to distract myself from my aching calf. We both started walking again and Gajeel grunted in approval as he started walking faster. Levy giggled at his antics before sighing and shifting her gaze around us.

"Not much I'm afraid," she admitted in frustration. "All we really have is that spell that got Mahari-san all agitated. Younger than fifteen, we know it can either be male or female, the white hair and red eyes has been confirmed…and so has the blood poisoning." She gulped, remembering the hastily done procedure Wendy did just yesterday. The grotesque imagery reentered my mind and made me blanch.

"Y-yeah…" I say around the rising lump in my throat. "Yeah that was um…good confirmation of the blood poison."

"Oi! Flame brain what the hell are you doing?!" we both snap our head up in the direction that Gray was yelling from. We both watched in horror as Natsu scaled the side of one of the taller trees in the forest.

"Natsu! What the hell are you doing?!" I scream at him.

"Be quiet Luce! I think I hear something!" he waves dismissively at me. I glare at the back of his head as he continues to climb higher. "The air is cleaner up here! I can smell farther!" he observes. We watch as he twists and turns sniffing the air. I yank on Happy's tail to bring him down to my level.

"Ouch! Lucy that hurt!" he howled in pain.

"Be quiet cat!" I hiss. "Go up there and make sure he doesn't fall off that tree!" I throw him back up and he grumbles the whole way.

"Such a baby," Charla sighs next to me. The white cat watches at the blue dot moves farther up and away from us.

"Any luck Charla?" Levy inquires. The cat shakes her head in dismay before floating up to our head height.

"No. This forest is strange to say the least," she remarks. "The air is so pungent and sickening. It's hard to focus really."

"What would happen if you flew up to Natsu too?" Gray interjects, apparently listening in on our conversation. Levy and I watch the exceed think about it for a moment before nodding her head.

"Anything is worth a shot at this point I suppose," she agrees before taking off up and over the trees.

"I hope this works…" Gajeel mumbles as he grabs on to the nearest tree and hauls himself up.

" _Gajeel_!" Levy squawks in surprise. "What the _hell_ are you doing?!" there was an anger hidden under that worried tone and it made me edge a little closer to Ezra and Gray.

"Anything?" I holler up at Natsu. We are met with nothing but silence as the four of us stare up at the trees. Both men and cats have disappeared in the thickest part of the trees, leaving that eerie silence in its wake. I was just about to shout up at him again when a white ball of fur fell out of the sky and smacked me square in the face. "Ack!"

"Lu-chan!"

"Luce!" Natsu hollers down at me. I was still in shock as I picked the white cat up and held her in my arms. I watched as her eyes blinked slowly and stared at nothing in particular, it took me almost a full minute before I realized she was in the middle of a vision. I could barely hear the conversations going on around me as I continued to stare transfixed at Charla. I faintly hear Natsu yell at Gajeel to go confirm something while Ezra was shouting something about a tree falling.

"Lucy! Lucy! _Lucy_!" Ezra finally slapped me across the face and I jolted out of my trance.

"Wh-what happened?" I say startled as I slowly blink. I see that the tree Natsu climbed up was missing a few of its bigger branches, one of which was currently being pulled off of Levy. "Levy-chan!" I yelp and almost drop Charla.

"I got her," Gajeel grunts as he lifts the branch and pulls her out. Gray has Ezra slung over his shoulder with blood dripping down her face.

"Is Charla okay?" Ezra gasps between pants.

"Ezra…" I murmur quietly. Before I could say anymore Charla started to squirm in my arms. "Charla?" I say in surprise.

"Luce," Natsu says quietly next to me. I jump in surprise and let out a startled squeak. "We got something," there was that telltale spark of mischief in his eyes that meant the adventure was just about to start.


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay that's great news Natsu-san! I'll see you when you get back!" I smile brightly into the lacrima.

"W-Wendy-san?" a weak voice calls out to me from down the hall.

"Coming!" I yell back before shoving the communication device back into its pouch. I move to stand up to go grab a glass of water before heading back into the medical room. "Sorry about that but my friends just called," I say as I enter the room. The boy was sitting on the edge of the bed holding his head in his hands. "Are you alright?" I say quietly as I set the glass down next to him.

"Wendy?" I turn to see who called my name from the front of the house.

"Oh Pantherlily is back," I muse. "Do you want to try walking again?" I ask. The boy looks up at me, his poor body is a mess to say the least. 'I wish Mahari-san was here…she'd be able to fix him.'

"Y-yeah let's try again," he whispers hoarsely. He gets to his feet with only a slight wobble and holds onto my shoulder for support.

"How do your feet feel now?"

"Better thanks to that salve you put on them," he smiled weakly at me. We limp our way out to the living room again for the third time today to see Lily sitting on the couch. "Hey Lily," he smiled at the cat.

"How are you feeling?" Lily responds to the boy. "Can you remember anything yet kid?" The boy's arm tightens around my shoulders and I shoot Lily a quick glare. "I-I mean if you can't just yet that's fine too!" he corrects quickly.

"Don't worry about it too much. One of our friends was just like you only a year ago," I reassure him. "Once we get you back to Fairy Tail we are going to figure everything out!"

"Thanks Wendy-san," he replies. "What did your friends say earlier? You seemed excited."

"Mhm? Gajeel and them called already?" Lily inquired with raised eyebrows. "They've only been gone for ten hours—was there news?"

"Yes," I say as I walk us over to the couch. I place him down next to Lily and he immediately starts to pet the exceed who only purrs in response. "Natsu called saying that Charla had a vision and both he and Gajeel were able to pick up an unusual scent." The cat's eyes grew wide before a smirk played across his lips.

"That's to be expected from a group of elites," he snickers. "Well that is good news and maybe now we can finally come to the bottom of this mystery," he says.

"Wendy-san what exactly are you trying to stop?" the boy inquires.

"Whatever happened to you," I respond with a small frown. 'He really doesn't remember a thing.'

"I just…I just don't remember what happened to me," he says frustrated. "All I see are these fuzzy images of dark places with a weird humming sound. Just a constant and oppressive humming sound."

"Well that's a start at least," Lily soothes. He was always better about tending to people's feelings that Gajeel.

"I'm going to start cooking. Mandy-chan and her grandfather will be back tonight," I say as I move to the kitchen to pull out some pans and run some water. I listen idly as the boy and Lily sit and talk about the world. Lily tells him about magic and our adventures and epic tales of triumph as well as mundane things like his home life with Gajeel and the joy that is the kiwi. I laugh quietly to myself as I continue to make some soup and bake the bread I had made earlier in the day. This quiet and domestic setting almost made me forget why we're even here. One look at the boy though, with his white hair and fierce red eyes, reminded me quickly.

* * *

"We're back!" Mandy yells after flinging the front door open. She rattles a few windows and makes me jump out of my skin.

"Mandy-chan!" I practically screech. She only laughs before plopping herself down in a kitchen chair. "You're going to break the door or a window one of these days!" I chide.

"Awww Wen-chan," she pouts before swiping a carrot. "Is that any way to speak to a friend?" as soon as the words leave her mouth we hear a loud thunder crack followed by what only could be described as wailing. Gray and Natsu come flying through the back door, trip over the rug together, and land face first in the firewood stacked next to the refrigerator which in turn almost falls on me.

"Oi," comes the dark and ominous voice of Laxus. "Are you two knuckle heads almost done?" he walks through the back door with a scary look on his face. Natsu and Gray whimper which causes me to giggle. One look at me and Laxus' face relaxes before he walks over to pick the other two men up. "Clean up this mess," he hisses.

"Aye sir!" they reply in unison before practically running to pick up the firewood and fix the rug. I turn and look at Mandy with a smug smile.

"Alright fine," she says with an eye roll. "But I really don't think that counts," she grumbles before finishing off her carrot.

"What doesn't count?" Laxus asks before giving my head a soft kiss. I blush deeply and turn around quickly to finish dinner.

"Wen-chan was being so mean to me even after all I've done for her!" Mandy whimpers.

"All _you've_ done?" pipes her grandfather. "If it wasn't for me half the town would be out trying to stop them! You just had to yell at Missy May and cause all kinds of trouble," he chides. I end up outright laughing at the dismayed look on Mandy's face.

"But grandpa!" she whines. By this point it seems everyone has settled into comfortable places and conversations were murmured throughout the tiny house.

"Need any help?" Levy comes up next to me and asks. I turn and smile at her with a polite no. "How was your day then?" she asks casually as she leans against the counter to look out at our group. "How's the boy?"

"He's doing a lot better. He can walk a little, but he still can't remember much," I admit. "Only something about humming and dark rooms, but I don't think that's very helpful at this point."

"Humming?" she asks.

"Yeah he said 'a constant and oppressive humming' was all he could remember hearing."

"Mhm, well that might be useful information later," the script mage muses. "I'm going to go look through the books again. You sure you don't need help?" she offers one more time.

"I'm fine Levy-san thank you," I reply with a smile. "I'll call when dinner is ready."

* * *

Lucy and Levy were clearing the rest of the dishes while our new friend and Pantherlily started cleaning the dishes. Natsu and Laxus were chopping wood and Gray was stoking the fire while Gajeel, Mandy, and her grandfather sat around the small table in the living room playing a card game. "Again?!" Gajeel bellows as Mandy wins another hand. Natsu laughs at his loss and ends up with a screw in the forehead. Laxus pounds Natsu on the head before he burnt the whole house down and Happy was keeping Charla busy while Ezra sat by quietly cleaning a sword, so I was left to my own devices. My mind turned to all the information Charla, Natsu, and Gajeel gathered while out.

Without much else to do I wandered back down to the medical room to look after the supplies. Once I walked in I didn't feel like turning on the lights so I walked around by moonlight. I tightened the gaze into smaller circles, checked on my vials of medicine, and remade the bed again. Once I ran out of things to do I sat down on the bed heavily before deciding to flop down. "A masking spell? But what is it masking?" I continue my musings about this mission for a while. Before I realized it the moon was high in the sky and a storm hung heavy in the air.

The moonlight slid across my face and body with the shifting in the clouds and thunder could be heard in the distance. "Laxus said that it was going to move quickly though," I muse. I shift my gaze from the ceiling to the window to watch the clouds. The sky is an eerie shade of light blue around the full moon, it washes out the stars and constellations around it. "Eerie…" I murmur as I sit up and move to the window. "This whole mission has been…eerie," I open the window and get hit in the face with a blast of cold air.

I fold my arms across the sill and lean my head out to breathe in the fresh air. I sigh contently as the country air cleans my lungs and clears my head. "W-what?" I slur as my eyelids become heavy. A soft indistinguishable sound rings through my ears as I continue to sag farther out the window. Eventually my eyes shut fully and my chin rests against the sill as the soft sound grows into an uncomfortable noise and rises still to incoherent humming. The last bit of my rational mind screams at me to run, but everything felt so heavy. The humming was painful and everything felt like it was being weighed down with lead as I slumped to the floor.

The moonlight becomes more and more obscured as the storm clouds pick up speed in their gathering and soon the room is dark. With my eyes glued shut and a darkness shrouding the room everything seemed to suddenly take on a sinister vibe. A surge of panic shot through my system and it was enough to overpower whatever magic has immobilized my body, but only enough to open my eyes and lift my head. I wish I had not done that. A little boy no more than six or seven with blood red eyes and stark white hair stared down at me. I wanted to scream, I tried to scream but nothing happened. I felt my muscles reject my flight instinct as the boy reached down and took ahold of me by the collar of my shirt. He lifted me up without so much as a strained face and threw me over his shoulder before jumping out the window. The speed with which he ran was unbelievable and there was nothing I could do to slow him down. We tore through the night while the air hung heavy with unshed condensation which caused small bursts of static to zap us as we ran through the trees.

I watched helplessly as the house and barn became nothing but a distant memory. 'Help! Please someone help!' my mind screamed, willing my friends to hear me. 'This mission cannot get any worse!' and suddenly without warning the skies opened up and the downpour began.

* * *

"So what do you think about that?" Pantherlily says triumphantly at the boy after he beat him at gin rummy again.

"Tch," the boy mutters before throwing the cards down. "Mandy-san teach me!" he whines before scooting closer to Mandy and sticking his tongue out at Pantherlily. Mandy laughs gleefully as the exceed tries to win the boy over again. Natsu and Laxus laugh at the cat's expense while the other two exceeds are sitting laughing with Ezra and Levy. I watch as my family relaxes after a successful day of recon work. I sat next to Mandy's grandfather and we sipped tea together in a comfortable silence. Just as I was sinking into a comfortable state a sudden jolt of unease shot through my system. The thunder was just rolling in and the sky was completely black by this point, but I wasn't afraid of storms.

I turn my gaze to the old man next to me to find he was intensely watching his granddaughter play another hand, a small smile playing over his features. I then look over to Natsu and Laxus and smile to myself at the two Dragon Slayers. They were horsing around like a couple of children, but I loved them and their crazy antics all the same. Yet, even as I look over all these faces and mundane activities this unease would not let up. Finally I turned my head to look down the hall. The room to the medical room was shut and a pain of guilt washed over me.

I stood up and set my cup down on the arm of my chair before moving down the hall. 'Wendy must be so tired…her magic can't be fully restored yet,' I muse to myself as I go to turn the knob. Lightening flashed across the sky as thunder rolled through my bones momentarily stalling me. I open the door all the way and am startled to find the room dark. "Wendy what are—Wendy?" I turn around the room looking for my tiny friend. "Wendy?" I say a little more panicky. " _Wendy_?" this time my voice carries and this time my cry is answered by the storm.

* * *

"What happened?!"

"When did she leave?"

"Did she leave…?"

"We have to find her!" the shrill voice of Charla finally pushed me over the edge.

"Enough already!" I snap at the group of hysterical mages.

"Laxus we can't just sit by while not knowing!" Natsu roared in his usual annoying way. I punch him square in the face before rubbing my temples. Without deterrence in the slightest he was back on his feet yelling at me again which only furthered my annoyance. Lucy was trying to hold him back in fear of me actually killing him while Charla cried heaving sobs into Levy's arms. Mandy was silently sobbing into her grandfather's shoulder and everyone else seemed shaken but unmoving. That is except for the boy.

"Oi," I growl causing him to jump from his pacing. "What do you know about this?" I charge at him with the full intent of throttling him. 'Mahari is going to kill me if Wendy gets hurt!' I think as I make a grab for the boy.

"Laxus," came the warning tone of Pantherlily. He grew to his full size and stepped in between us before crossing his arms. "Wendy trusts him."

"Yeah? Well if you haven't noticed she's not here right now," I growl which elicits another round of hysterical sobs from the white cat. "Levy!" I snap.

"Stop it Laxus," Pantherlily says in an attempted authoritative tone. He fell short however due to the lack of sleep, we all were feeling it at this point. Without another word he turns around to face the boy who only shrinks back in fear. "What do you know?" he asks in a softer tone.

"N-nothing—I can't…my memories are just gone," he says fearfully. Natsu and Gray walk over to the boy and attempt to halt his repetitive movements. The boy only shrinks back until his back hits the wall and he slumps down. "Wendy…" he whimpers. I turn away from him and stalk towards the kitchen. I drag my hands down my face as I stare out the window and listen to the thunder.

"Laxus?" I turn to see Lucy standing next to me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Gajeel and Natsu pick up Mandy and her grandfather, apparently they both passed out during the altercation. "Are you alright?" the blonde rested her hand on my arm.

"No," I sigh.

"Wendy is going to be fine," I turn to look at her, but she was staring out the window. Something sparkled in her eyes and the slight quiver in her lower lip told me she was just as angry as I am. She shakes her head lightly, clenches her fists and turns back to the boy, "she's fine."


	7. Chapter 7

Water dripped incessantly while the sounds of tiny claws echoed across the room. A slow, low, and impenetrable humming noise buzzed through the thick air, the only other sound was the clanging of metal on metal or metal on stone. My eyes have long since been able to open yet they were useless in this unending darkness. The air was no help either as all there was to smell is blood and mold. The feeling in my hands and feet have disappeared due to the chains and hanging position; overall I was helpless.

A door sits up high above this dungeon and is hardly ever opened. Since the spell has worn off it has only opened once and from its light I was able to see the stairs that lead up and the cruelty that lives in this hole. Blood stained everything and the walls reeked of iron from it, the chains were everywhere not just around my wrists and ankles, and the rats ran freely from place to place. There was someone in the corner hunched over, but when I called out to them there was no response. They didn't even move. I screamed at them but it was useless—like me. At this point I can only assume they're already dead and the rats have cleaned the bones.

How long have I been down here? I can't even feel—there's nothing…

"Hello," the voice startled me out of my delusions. Had the door opened? Is the person in the corner dead? "I'm to take you down now."

I open my mouth to protest, to scream, cry, beg anything at this point really but nothing comes out. My eyes are open, but they cannot penetrate this darkness that so wholly destroyed all senses. I feel the chains around my ankles move but not become unbound, I am able to swing my body now. Someone grabs my feet and hoists me up until my hands come free from my hook, of course the shackles remained. Whoever it was that stood before me slung me over their shoulder and soundlessly made their way out of this hell.

* * *

"Open the door," the voice commanded to someone unseen. There was no sound, but light flooded the darkness that seemed so ingrained into wherever I was. It was almost painful to think that the light was my enemy. I squint my eyes until I can make out my surroundings—the short legs of my captor, the finely woven fabric of the carpet he walked on, the grey and greenish stones that lay underneath the carpet and when I lift my eyes I see the door. Finely carved with thousands of intricate details depicting magic, a deep inlay of gold shimmered here and there while tiny jewels of all colors bounce the light around. The beauty and warmth of this almost brought me to tears when thinking about where I've been.

"This is her?" I cannot see the owner of the voice. But it belonged to a woman and one who must be very beautiful to own a voice comprised of honey and silk. "Bring her here," the smooth soprano that rang through the air eased my nerves and suddenly I felt like crying from the contradiction. Someone with this voice and wonderful taste in decorating also housed that…that hell. I was dropped unceremoniously onto the carpet at the foot of some stairs. I struggled to stand, but only made it to a seated position before nausea swept through me. My chains bit into my skin and drew fresh blood and I attempt to rearrange myself more comfortably.

With much willpower and my stubbornness I was able to lift my head enough to see the feet of my tormentor. Only the tips of her shoes could be seen because her dress hung all the way down to the floor in great big sweeping curtains of fabric. When she shifted or tapped her foot the fabric flowed like a river and sparkled like the stars. A long silver rope and tassel swayed with her hips as she waltzed down the steps. "Silly girl. What are you doing in my forest?" a sudden wooziness took over at her words. "Don't you know the forest is a dangerous place to be alone?"

My arms felt like a weight was crushing them and I couldn't bring myself to look higher than her knees. "But don't you worry pet," she purred as she bent down to my level. "I will protect you," her face finally came into focus and I screamed.

* * *

"Charla! Charla! Please slow down!" Happy cried after his longtime love interest. The white cat however did not slow her relentless pace as she continued to soar further away from the group. Pantherlily was keeping up with her better than Happy, but even he was visibly exerting a lot of energy to keep pace. If it wasn't for Ezra and her notorious over packing habit, Levy and I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group due to footwear malfunction. Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus all lead the pack at an unforgiving pace as well. Ezra and Gray brought up the rear while Levy and I tried to not get in the way. Of course we were also in charge of watching the boy so that was slowing us down considerably as well.

Levy was panting lightly as she managed to never break her stride as we jumped over fallen trees and rotten roots. The boy hardly seemed bothered by the exercise, in fact his face showed no signs of distress at all. "So, what about now?" Levy managed between pants.

"These trees all look the same," he said sadly.

"No shit," I ground out between gasps. "Tell us something we don't know."

"I'm sorry Lucy-san…" he whimpers as we continue to search aimlessly through the forest. It's been almost two weeks since we lost Wendy and the further we get into the forest the angrier I become.

"Stop! Everyone just stop!" I grind my feet into the soft earth, causing Grey to almost run me over. The three men in front come to a screeching halt and even Charla stops to hover a few meters in front of us. "This is pointless! We have no idea where we are—what direction we need to go in…hell I'm not even sure we're in the same damn forest!"

"Luce…" Natsu starts to walk over to me.

"No!" I snap at him with venom. "I'm tired of this running around hoping this useless boy will remember something! I want to know where Wendy is!" I reach for my keys to find who I need. "Open Gate of The Compass! Pyxis!" in no time my familiar duck looking friend stood before us. "Pyxis," I say as I fall to my knees in front of him. "Can you find Wendy?" he gives me a quizzical look before making a honking noise at me. "You know Wendy? Small, cute, blue hair—Wendy, Pyxis," I beg him.

Pyxis continues to stare at me with an unfathomable look on his face before turning slightly to my left. He honked again this time at the boy. "W-what does it want fr-from me?" he slowly backed up until he bumped into Levy. Pyxis only honked again before jumping on the boy.

"Pyxis! Pyxis stop it! What are you doing?!" I scream as I attempt to pull my deranged friend off the boy. Pyxis suddenly stops his assault and stands before me with a smug look on his face. "And what did you just prove?" I snap at him. He lifts his face up to mine and in his beak is a chunk of the boy's white hair. Pyxis consumes the hair before I can pry it out of his mouth and his eyes gloss over for a moment. "P-Pyxis?"

No one moved as Pyxis slowly came back to reality and honked loudly at all of us. He jumped up and down excitedly before pointing in a northeastern direction. "Pyxis…did you—did you find her?" tears welled up in my eyes as my friend turned to me and smiled.

"Honk," he smiled triumphantly at me before saluting and disappearing into a cloud of golden dust. Charla landed softly by my side as everyone gathered in closer.

"I-I didn't know he could…he could track," I admit astonished.

"Lucy do you think it's the right way?" Charla asks hesitantly.

"I don't know Charla," I say as I grab her tiny paw. "But it's the best we've got right now."

* * *

The humming has finally become background noise at this point. In between the beatings it has become nothing but a distant annoyance that was easily forgotten. As for the beatings they came regularly and always brought a new face to my attention. An ungodly amount of children all ranging in size, shape, and age ghosted down the stairs to greet me. Their blood red eyes bore into my dull ones before the onslaught of pain. The first few times I remember crying out in agony, whimpering like a weakling, and begging for answers like a fool. Now that it's been what…a week? A month? I can almost say I feel nothing.

The metal around my extremities, I have found, contain magic suppressing materials. Back when I cared and fought I found it draining to call upon my magic. So when I stopped struggling I started to think. Thinking took a great deal of effort being down in this oppressive hole and I expended that effort every time. My mind wanders to all the possible reasons I ended up in this situation. Or towards where I was and how far I've been dragged. Or, mostly, towards that haggard woman. That old hag hasn't come to see me once, but her message is clear. Join her or die.

"Aurgh…!" I bit out painfully as a particularly nasty snap of the whip tore out my flesh. The girl looked to be at the age max of fifteen, yet she was already rather womanly in appearance. Her white hair was cropped short and curled in perfect coils around her heart shaped face. Her almond shaped red eyes held no expression as she continued her whipping. She brought the whip down again against my stomach and I swear I could see an internal organ.

Finally the girl stopped her torture and went to clean her whip in the corner of the dungeon. Many torture items were housed in that corner, so I have learned. When she came back into my line of sight she bowed slightly before me, "Mistress," then she left. They all did that and it has long since stopped freaking me out. I don't know why they bowed to me after beating me senseless or why they gave me that title, all I know is that it's stupid. The door closes noiselessly behind her and I am once again thrown into the darkness with nothing but my blood and thoughts to keep me company.

* * *

"Pyxis!" I call upon my friend once again as we all stop to take a quick break. The poor spirit looks just as worn out as I feel, but he is a trooper that's for sure. Once again he attacks the boy and takes a piece of his hair before pointing us in another direction.

"Lu-chan?" Levy walks up next to me and rests her hand on my shoulder. "You can't keep this pace up, Lu-chan."

"I have to," I barely manage between pants. "W-Wendy needs us Levy-chan. Pyxis feels as though we are finally getting close. Maybe Natsu or Gajeel or…or Laxus will be a-able to find her. I just have t-to—to get close…enough…"

"Lu-chan!" Levy screams as she frantically tries to grab me before I face-plant into the earth. "Lu-chan? Lu-chan! Lu-chan!"

"Levy what happened?!" Natsu snarled. The world went black after that.

* * *

Soft murmuring was all I could hear as my head finally cleared enough for me to open my eyes. When I turned my head to the side I almost jumped out of my skin, the boy was sitting right next to me. Pantherlily was seated next to him and they both were watching me as I slept. "You're awake," he said.

I moved to a half seated position and my head spun in protest. "What happened?"

"Magic depilation. You were using too much in a short amount of time. If it wasn't Pyxis you called it was Loke or Aries and you finally passed out," Pantherlily scolded. "You could have died Lucy."

"I know Lily," I grumble softly.

"I'm glad you're awake," the boy said happily. "Wendy would have been so sad had you died." I stared wide-eyed at this child. "Nay guess what Lucy-san?" he smiled at me.

"W-what?" I stutter.

"I'm thirteen," he beams.

" _What_?" I say exasperated.

"I'm thirteen!" he says proudly and Pantherlily smirks next to him. "I remembered my age."

"How?" I say with complete shock. "Just yesterday you didn't know the difference between yourself and that tree!" He looked momentarily hurt by my words and Pantherlily glared at me. He looked down and started to draw circles in the dirt. "I'm sorry I'm just on edge you know?" I sigh.

He never met my gaze, only continued to draw in the dirt. "I know," came his soft reply.

"Wendy is sixteen," I say without thinking. "She just had her birthday…" I laugh bitterly. "I forgot her present at the store and—I haven't even given her her present." Tears well up in my eyes before the snapping of a fire caught my attention. I turn to see everyone gathered around the fire watching us curiously, without words I hold my arms out. Natsu is next to me and holding me quicker than I could see. I held him close and breathed in his scent, it always grounded me and tonight was no different.

"We're going to get her back Luce. You'll see, she's going to be just fine," he murmured into my hair as I continued to cry silently into his shoulder. That night everyone slept close together as the air finally shifted in the forest.

* * *

"This is the break we need!" Natsu shouts joyously as we all continue to push our limits. The boy was keeping up remarkably well considering the terrible shape we found him in.

"Are you doing alright?" Levy asks him as she keeps pace with Gajeel and Pantherlily. Ezra and Gray watch him as they continue to guard the rear of our group.

"Y-yeah," he pants.

"Good," she smirks at him. "Lu-chan ready to kick it up another notch?"

"Let's go," I growl as Pyxis and I push off the ground harder and force the group to speed up. Natsu and Laxus flanked us as we continued on while Pyxis led us deeper into the forest. We seldom spoke as we traveled across the wet earth. The rain from before still clung to the air and permeated the soil causing our feet to sink in as we ran. I know for a fact Levy and I have been training too hard for something this mundane to slow us down everyone else had to keep up with us. 'Please be okay Wendy…'

* * *

"Hello," it was that boy from the first night of my unending hell. "I'm to take you down," I couldn't even look at him. My head hung loosely while the rest of my body was numb, so when I landed less than gracefully on the cold floor I felt nothing. He picked me up as easily as the first time and carried me up and out of the hole. The ride was bumpy, the boy was unaccommodating in his traversing through the halls. The dim lighting in the halls was too much for my eyes, everything was too stimulating. I felt like throwing up.

"Have you brought her my pet?" that golden voice filtered through the air and stung my ears. "You're such a good boy," she cooed as the boy dropped me back onto the stone floor. That same carpet from before was under me again and I lazily counted how many threads it had as I waited for another assault. My sense of hearing must be going because in a moment she was upon me and I didn't hear her coming. The old hag grabs the collar of the destroyed shirt and lifts me to eye level. Her breath is foul, like a rotting corpse in the sun, as she breathes across my battered face. "Have you been a good girl?" she purrs.

I don't know if it was the stench of her breath or the fact that my vital organs have taken one too many hits but all I could do was cough up blood and bile in answer to her question. My throat burned and my eyes stung from the effort, she made a dissatisfied sound before dragging me up the stairs. "I want to look at a fresh face my pet," without another word the boy takes me from her and walks back out of the room. "I hope you enjoy your new look!"

"N-no…" I groan again as the boy, along with two other children, vigorously scrub at my broken body. My clothes have been taken from me and I've no idea what has become of them. A girl who looked about ten was washing and rewashing my hair. I watched as blood, dirt, and grime fell from my locks in clumps. The oldest looking boy—maybe thirteen—was working on dressing my wounds. He twisted and stretched my skin until it all started to mesh together, it itched terribly but I have no strength to stop him. I have no strength to stop any of them actually. While they have removed my shackles to clean the wounds my magic still feels far away and unreachable.

"You look so ugly," the girl sneers as she finishes with my hair. A dirty mirror was brought before my eyes and I cry out in agony. My once blue hair has turned a dull grey color and my dark brown eyes now looked to be the color of dried blood. The skin on my face is tight and clammy with dark bags under my eyes, my lips were chapped, and I could see my collarbone.

"Zara," the oldest boy snapped.

"Well she does," the girl, Zara, protested with a huff. "Where are her clothes Maximus?" she whines to him. "We've got more important things to do."

"Hitaro is grabbing him," he barks at her in agitation. "I don't want to be here anymore than you do. So, shut up and finish what we've been assigned to do."

My head is spinning from their conversation, none of them have ever talked this much in front of me before. Except for that boy… "Augh!" I cry out in pain as the girl—Zara—yanks on my hair.

"What are you looking at?" she snarls. With another yank on my already bruised skull all I can do is whimper. Zara continues her unprovoked attack on my head until the younger boy returns with new clothes. "Well it's about time Hitaro," she snapped.

"Couldn't find any her size," he responds coolly. Nothing in his posture or expression showed a hint of fear for this vicious girl.

"At least there's something the _pet_ isn't good at," she growls at him while snatching the clothing from his hands. She then proceeds to dress me violently as the boys leave the room. Zara continued to rant and snarl the whole time she dressed me, but I am so delirious that her words turn to a fuzzy roar in the back of my mind. When she finally finishes with the clothes she left me slumped over on the ground. "Good for nothing," she snaps before exiting the room as well.

I lay here now wondering what fresh hell awaits me when they return.


End file.
